By Ryland Overly, GSP, Risk Control Consultant
Manufacturing facilities that emphasize safety in the workplace are both productive and competitive. A Safety Committee is a good way to instill a culture of safety because both workers and managers can contribute their ideas. KPA provides some best practices for consideration when starting your company’s Safety Committee:
Recruit the right Safety Committee members
Your members should care about the safety of not only themselves but the safety of everyone they work alongside. You will want employees from all levels of the organization. Note: In PA, a certified safety committee must have a minimum of two employers and two employees.
Get organized
An effective committee is a well-organized committee. You will want to have your committee’s purpose, bylaws, charter, and goals in place before your first meeting. Once your committee starts having meetings, make sure you document the agendas, minutes, and attendance. Remember, if you don’t document it, it didn’t happen. You should keep the records for at least five years.
Plan each meeting ahead of time
Conduct your safety committee’s meeting during business hours at a time that is convenient for all of the members. Try to have the meetings at the beginning of the month. That way, if your committee can’t make a quorum, you will have time before the end of the month to make up the meeting. Distributing agendas ahead of time will allow the members to prepare the meeting and keep it flowing.
Assign responsibilities
Make sure that all of the responsibilities of the safety committee are delegated and communicated amongst the members. You don’t want them to fall on one person’s shoulders. That is a good way to dampen the effectiveness of your committee.
For more information, contact Ryland directly at 717.735.3049 or a member of the Murray Risk Control Team at 717.397.9600 for additional assistance on resources and tools for prevention, including materials contained in the Succeed / KPA risk management platform.
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